Three dead after two separate crashes on same motorway

2 May 2019, 15:45 | Updated: 2 May 2019, 15:49

Three people have died in two crashes just hours apart on the same motorway.

The incidents happened around six miles from each other on the A74(M) in Dumfries and Galloway on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

A 57-year-old man driving a van and his 17-year-old male passenger were pronounced dead at the scene of the most recent incident, near Kirkpatrick-Fleming.

The vehicle was involved in a crash with an articulated lorry on the northbound carriageway between junctions 20 and 21, at around 6.15am on Thursday.

The lorry driver was unhurt.

Meanwhile, a man died and three teenagers were taken to hospital with serious injuries following an incident on the road around nine hours earlier.

The Ford Fiesta they were in crashed on the southbound carriageway, near Ecclefechan, shortly after 9pm on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old man driving the car was pronounced dead at the scene, Police Scotland said.

An 18-year-old man in the car was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, while two female passengers, aged 16 and 19, were taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

Their injuries are described as being serious but not life-threatening.

The road stretches were closed to allow for crash scene investigations to take place, but have now reopened.